


Second chances

by katychan666



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Time Travel, Angst, Angst and Tragedy, M/M, Time Travel, Tragedy, ereri
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-10-25
Updated: 2015-10-29
Packaged: 2018-04-28 03:02:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 15,479
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5075278
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/katychan666/pseuds/katychan666
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>TimeTravellerAU! Eren is a scientist and Levi is his fiance. Levi dies because of an accident and Eren makes a time machine to save him. But, things don't go exactly as he planned them to go. Will Eren be able to save his beloved?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I'm back with a new, angsty fanfic. Hopefully you'll like it? please tell me what you think

Levi woke up pretty early that morning, since he had work early in the morning. He was working as a teacher in the kinder garden and he couldn't be happier about his job. He had always loved children and working every day there made him feel both happy and excited. Levi let out a happy sigh, rubbed his eyes and slowly got up into sitting position, looking to his right where his lover was still soundly asleep. His heart filled with happiness and he smiled. Who knew that just being around Eren would make him so happy?

 

He and Eren met 8 years ago for the very first time. At that time, Eren was still a student and his part time job was a waiter in Levi's favourite restaurant. The fact that Eren kept on watching him from afar didn't go unnoticed from Levi's eyes. Eren never made it a secret that he was interested in him and before Levi noticed it himself, the feelings were mutual. He kept on going to that restaurant more frequently, just to see him. Then one day, Eren finally gathered up enough courage and asked him out and they've been together ever since. And after years of dating, Eren finally asked Levi to marry him, to which he of course said yes.

 

Levi came a bit closer to the younger man and gently brushed some of the hair from his face, so that he could enjoy watching his sleeping face for a few moments before going off to work. Eren was rarely home, because his work required him to be from house a lot. But Levi didn't mind it too much, because being in a relationship with an award winning scientist wasn't so bad. He chuckled when Eren frowned when his fingertips came in contact with his forehead and Levi leaned down, brushing his lips gently against Eren's forehead.

 

As he did that, the younger male slowly opened his eyes and let out a loud yawn, making Levi giggle. He felt bad that he woke Eren up, because he knew that the other one must've still been tired, since he came home pretty late last night. But on the other hand, he kind of hoped for the other one to wake up before he would leave.

 

“Good morning,” said the older one happily and buried his long fingers into Eren's hair, making him almost purr from the sensation and Levi's smile widened when Eren yawned again, slowly opening his eyes.

 

“'Morning,” said Eren and then looked up at Levi's face and smiled as well. He then looked around the room, searching for the clock. It was still pretty dark, so it must've still been very early. “What's the time?” he then asked in the end, because he couldn't locate the clock anywhere.

 

“It's six,” said Levi.

 

“It's still early,” said Eren, yawning again. “Why have you woken up this early?”

 

“I woke up because I have this thing, called work,” said Levi and his smile widened when he saw how Eren rolled his eyes.

 

“Don't go yet,” said Eren, grabbed Levi's wrist and pulled Levi back down. As Eren pulled his arm, Levi lost his balance and fell back down onto the bed, landing on top of his lover and both of them burst into loud laughter. “Come on,” said the younger one then and placed his arms around Levi's waist. “We barely see each other because of my stupid job, I miss you,” he said. “Can't you just call in that you're sick or something?”

 

Levi smiled but shook his head. “You know that I can't do that.”

 

“But, Levi!” whined Eren and gave Levi one of his sweetest puppy-eyed look and in the end the older one just couldn't say no to his lover.

 

“Fine,” he said slowly. “I'll stay home for one extra hour, but then I'll have to go, understood?”

 

“Yes,” said Eren happily.

 

Eren then held Levi closer to himself and turn themselves around, so that he was now the one who was laying on top of Levi. He then leaned down and watched how Levi closed his eyes. Eren allowed himself to stare at Levi's full lips before finally closing the distance between them by pressing his lips on top of Levi's. To Eren, Levi was perfect, he still couldn't believe that the older male was his. He could still remember how nervous he was when he first asked Levi out and then almost died because when he said yes. He still didn't know why Levi said yes back then, because he was just a student. But then Eren promised to himself to work hard in life, because he wanted to become someone who Levi would be proud to call his lover.

 

Eren placed his hand behind Levi's neck and then pulled him even closer. Levi, who was lying underneath him, placed his arms around Eren's waist and pulled him closer to himself. They both exchanged a few more kisses and it was Eren who broke their kiss. Levi opened his eyes and curiously looked up to the younger one.

 

“I can't wait for us to get finally married,” murmured Eren and Levi's entire body heated up when the other one said that.

 

“Me too,” said Levi happily. “I love you so much, Eren.”

 

Eren didn't say anything. Instead, he crushed their lips together and put his strong arms around Levi's body and held him tightly to himself. He loved him too, so much that it hurt. Levi meant everything to him. Was there even a point to how much you can love another human being? “Same here,” whispered Eren and chuckled when Levi buried his face into the crook of his neck and then started showering in with feather light kisses.

 

“You know, I was thinking,” said Eren and the other one looked at him curiously to what he was going to tell him. “I know how much you want to be a dad and have children... So after the wedding, we could adopt or-”

 

“Seriously?” asked Levi, interrupting Eren. His heart fluttered with joy when he heard Eren say that. It was true that he loved children and being a father would mean the world to Levi, but he kind of gave up on that wish because he knew that Eren never was too keen on having kids. “B-but I thought that you didn't want to have any.”

 

“Well, I changed my mind as you can see,” said Eren and smiled because he knew that he had just made Levi very happy. “I would like to have a pair of children running around the house,” he then added.

 

“I would love that too,” said Levi and then hugged Eren tighter. “Thank you,” he then whispered into Eren's ear, making him chuckle.

 

The two of them spent quite a few more minutes lying in the bed, cuddling and enjoying each other's presence. It wasn't until Levi got up and notice that it was already really late and he knew that he should get going to work. He quickly left the bed, got ready and then returned to the bedroom, to say his goodbyes to Eren.

 

“Aw, you're really going then,” said Eren kind of disappointed, because he thought that he managed to win Levi over with his cuteness from before. He then pouted, but in the end he dragged his tired body out of the bed and followed Levi to the entrance door.

 

“When are you coming home today, Eren?” asked Levi.

 

“I'm not quite sure yet, but I will be late. We're currently working on a very important discovery and well... they do need me there,” said Eren and scratched the back of his head. Even though he loved his job, it did kind of suck knowing that Levi spent most of the days alone in the house. Levi never complained about it, but Eren knew him well enough to know that he was lonely without him around. “I'm sorry.”

 

“Why are you apologising? Of course they need you, you are the best,” said Levi and then winked. “It's okay. I'll wait for you here to come back then,” added Levi.

 

“Okay,” said Eren, placed his fingers under Levi's chin, pulled his face closer and gave him a soft kiss. “Have a great day at work then,” he said. “I love you.”

 

“You too, have fun,” said Levi and smiled into their kiss. He then opened the door and turned around to Eren one last time, waving to him. “Goodbye.”

 

“Bye.”

Later that day, Eren finally got himself ready to go to work as well. He knew that he was going to have a long and hard day at work, but that didn't matter to him at all, because he knew that in the end of it, he was going to see Levi. The other one promised him to wait for him to return and Eren couldn't be happier, because usually Levi was already asleep by the time that he came back home.

 

Even though work was quite difficult, Eren didn't really care because his team was on a verge of discovering something that would completely change the lives of people. Eren and two of his other friends, Armin and Jean were making a device that would allow people to travel through time, a time machine basically. Even though it seemed impossible a few years ago, when they started working on this device, the trio was convinced that they were really close to making the thing actually work and Eren couldn't be more excited.

 

By the time that Eren was over with his work for that day, it was already really late and when he looked at the clock, his eyes widened when he saw that it was close to 10 pm already and he let out a silent curse. He really was annoyed with himself for leaving Levi to be home alone all the time. He was rubbish and he really did wonder why on Earth was Levi still with him. But in the end, it didn't really matter to him and he knew that Levi would never leave him. However, something did seem a bit strange to Eren that day. Throughout the whole day, Levi didn't send him one single text. That was a bit strange to Eren, because the other one would constantly text him. In the end, Eren came to the conclusion that Levi must've been really busy. Maybe he was preparing for their wedding, or maybe he prepared something special for him at home?! Because of that, Eren decided not to think too much about it because he didn't want to be paranoid about every single thing.

 

With a smile on his face, Eren got into his car and drove off home, his heart fluttering with happiness because he was finally going to be able to see his fiancée. Eren chuckled and his whole body warmed up because he was so happy that he was finally able to call Levi that. He knew that their wedding was going to be perfect.

 

But when he finally reached home, he noticed that something was strange and he furrowed his eyebrows. At first, it seemed really strange to Eren that house looked really dark. Even though Levi would go to sleep, he would always keep the lights switched on for Eren, just to let him know that he was home and so that the other one wouldn't worry. Eren pushed his lips together and his hold on the steering wheel tightened a little bit.

 

Was Levi not home? Maybe he went out drinking with his friend Erwin? Did something else happen?

 

Eren quickly shook his head, trying to remain calm because he knew that there was a completely logical explanation for why the lights were switched off. Levi was probably just really tired when he came back home and he just fell asleep without switching the lights on. However, when Eren was about to park his car, anxiety started kicking in again because the space where Levi's car was supposed to be parked was empty and at that point Eren knew that Levi wasn't home, which was strange. If he had some plans to go somewhere, he would tell him.

 

The man quickly got out of his car and almost ran to the house. He tried to open the door, but it was locked and Eren's chest tightened. He cleared his throat and quickly unlocked the door, practically running inside.

 

“Levi, are you home?” he tried, but he knew that it was kind of pointless since the other one wasn't home.

 

The next thing that Eren did was search every room of their house, just to see if he really was alone in it. When he saw that Levi was nowhere to be seen, Eren's heart fell to the pit of his stomach and he felt sick. He looked at the clock and when he saw that it was already 11 pm, the panic only started raising. Then a thought hit Eren... did Levi decide to leave him?!

 

No, he wouldn't... would he?!

 

Eren was immediately on his legs and he went to the bedroom, to see if Levi's things were still there. He was shocked to see that all of Levi's stuff was still there and he then sat onto the bed, trying to clear his thoughts. It didn't make any sense why Levi wasn't home. His stuff was still there, so then... where was he?

 

Eren quickly took his phone into his hand and typed a short text to Levi, saying ' _Hey, where are you? It's really late and I'm beginning to freak out.'_ Eren then went back into the living room and he decided to watch TV, because he needed to keep himself busy since the whole waiting thing was driving him mad. However, watching TV didn't really help, because he kept on looking to his phone, in hope that Levi would reply to him, but he had no such luck. He tried calling him, but Levi's phone went straight to voice mail and in the end Eren gave up on calling him. But still, he just couldn't stay still, so Eren just kept on sending texts to Levi, even though he knew that he wouldn't receive a reply.

 

_'Come on I am really worried now. Did something happen? Where are you?'_

 

_'You know how much I hate it when you don't reply to me. Come on, I love you. If something happened, we can talk about it. Please!'_

 

_“Just come back home.”_

 

_“Please reply to me. Levi, where are you?”_

 

_“Please... I am begging you.”_

 

“Shit!” said Eren and threw his phone onto the couch, because he knew that it was useless. Eren then looked at the clock once again and his eyes widened when he saw that it was already past midnight. At that point, Eren was really worried and his fear only worsened when he took a glance at the TV screen and saw that the news were showing a building, which looked really familiar to the place where Levi worked at.

 

Eren straightened himself up and took a closer look at it. No, it really was the kinder garden where Levi worked at. At that realisation all of the colour left Eren's face because the caption on the screen said ''An accident happened in front of the kinder garden, one person died.''. Eren froze and then his hand automatically grabbed the remote control and Eren raised volume up, so that he could hear what really happened there.

 

“Today, at 9 am, a horrible accident happened in front of the kinder garden,” said the reporter. “Luckily, thanks to a very brave teacher none of the children were hurt.”

 

“Oh thank god,” whispered Eren and let out a deep sigh. However, his heart then stopped yet again. Didn't that caption say that someone died? So if the children were okay then...? Eren suddenly felt sick down to his stomach. He felt how his stomach twisted when he saw Levi's car on the screen. The car was okay, but it was parked in the middle of the road and something was definitely off about that. “B-but Levi wasn't hurt.. I-I mean he c-can't be... he's just-”

 

“The fact that children are safe is thanks to the very special teacher, as we mentioned before. However,” said the reported and made a short pause. With horror in his eyes, Eren watched how the woman's face got really serious. “There was one person that got hurt and later passed away. The whole incident happened when the children were getting ready to go on a field trip and were waiting for the bus in front of the kinder garden. Before the bus got there, a drunken driver appeared out of nowhere and drove towards the group of teachers and children. The driver almost injured some children, but thanks to the young man, a teacher, nothing happened to the children. However, as he tried to save the children, the driver ran over the young man,” went on by saying the reporter. “The man, who is believed that was the most liked teacher among the children and other staff, passed away later in the hospital.”

 

That was when Eren stopped listening to the reporter because he knew that Levi wasn't coming back home. At the kinder garden, where Levi worked, he was the only male teacher and that information was enough to let Eren know that his lover was dead.

 

At first, he didn't do anything. He just sat there, staring at the TV screen and not believing it. It couldn't be true. There was no way that Levi had died. Eren didn't cry, he couldn't. All of his emotions were numb and he couldn't even think properly. The TV reporter suddenly started moving slower, why? And why couldn't he hear her? He could clearly see that she was moving her lips, so that meant that she was speaking. Instead, Eren could hear the sound of his racing heart and his rapid breathing.

 

“Levi's dead,” whispered Eren and made a short pause. Saying that felt weird, it didn't sound right. It was like Eren couldn't really grasp the real meaning of those words. “He's dead.”

 

Eren kept on repeating this sentence over and over again in his head. He wanted to understand it, he wanted to feel something. But he couldn't, he was just empty. He then felt how coldness started creeping into his heart and he got up onto his legs. He couldn't sit still anymore, he needed to do something. The man then started walking around in circles and was still repeating ''Levi's dead'' over and over in his head.

 

He couldn't be dead! There was no way! Eren knew that the other one was just going to walk through the door any time soon. Eren's eyes looked towards the door, because he just wanted to make sure. Maybe he didn't see it right; maybe the accident happened at some other kinder garden. It couldn't just... Levi just wasn't dead, period. A picture of Levi laying in the coffin came in front of Eren's face and he just had to sit down. He felt sick, he needed to throw up.

 

Eren got onto his legs and practically ran into the bathroom. He needed to calm down! He looked himself in the mirror and almost couldn't recognise himself anymore. That person staring back at him couldn't be him! He felt sick again and he ran to the toilet, emptying his stomach in it. As he was done, he rinsed his mouth and then went back into the living room and looked around it. It suddenly felt so empty and cold.

 

He then looked at the TV screen again and Eren's eyes widened when he saw pictures of children carrying small banners, thanking Levi because he managed to save them. So, it really was Levi. And that was when all of Eren's emotions came rushing back into his body and he just collapsed, falling onto his knees. It only then hit him that Levi wasn't coming back home to him. He wouldn't able to see his smiling face, he wouldn't be able hold him in his arms ever again.

 

Levi was gone.

 

A loud scream left Eren's mouth and then tears started rolling down his face. It hurt, it hurt so fucking much. He suddenly felt how his lungs lacked air and he started gasping for it, but he failed every time. Why? They were supposed to get married, they would be so happy together. Eren's crying and yelling got louder as he was still struggling for air.

 

“No, no, no,” said Eren in between the sobs. “Oh god... why?”

 

What broke Eren's heart even more was the fact that he didn't know it until now. He wasn't there for Levi when he was fighting for his life, Levi was all alone when he left this world. Eren cursed himself for paying more attention to his work and not to Levi. Maybe then he could do something about it! Eren felt how a sudden rage started building up and he just stood up, walked over to the desk, where he kept his things for his work, and threw all of them onto the floor. But he was far from being done.

 

Books kept flying off the shelves, glasses breaking. It wasn't until Eren was completely exhausted and he fell back onto the floor. He brought his legs up and he hugged his knees, burying his face into them and he then just cried. For the next hour or so, the only thing that was heard in the room was Eren's loud sobbing and begging Levi to come back. Suddenly, someone knocked onto the entrance door and Eren lifted his head. It was probably the police.

 

He then got onto his legs and walked over to the door, opening it. He didn't even look at two men who were standing in front of them. He kept looking down on the floor, tears still streaming down his face.

 

“Sir we-” started a young man, but the older policeman stopped him by grabbing his shoulder.

 

“He knows already,” he whispered. “Sir, we're sorry for your loss,” he then said and looked at Eren.

 

“I want to see him,” whispered Eren.

 

“This is exactly why we're here. We would like to-”

 

“W-where is he?”

 

“He's still in the hospital, sir,” said the younger one quietly.

 

“Can you take me to him, please?”

 

“But-”

 

“Yes,” said the older male. “You may come with us, we'll take you there.”

 

“T-thank you,” whispered Eren and then followed the two men to their car. Eren felt how his legs were really weak and he could barely walk. He didn't even know why he said that, he just wanted to see him one last time. He wanted to say goodbye.

 

 

On their way to the hospital, Eren kept hugging his trembling body and silently crying in the back of the car. Neither of the men spoke, they kept silent because they knew that Eren would prefer it that way. When they finally arrived, they took Eren to the room where Levi was still in and then left. Eren saw that Levi's family was already there and he almost broke again. He was glad, Levi wasn't alone when he passed away.

 

Levi's sister was crying, his parents as well. When they saw him, they didn't say anything. It wasn't a surprise to Eren, since they have always hated him. But much to his surprise all of them left the room and Eren's eyes went to the bed where someone was lying. He couldn't see the person's face because it was covered, but he knew that it was Levi. With shaky legs, he slowly went closer. He then pulled the cover off of Levi's face, his eyes wattering again and his lower lip started shaking. It felt so surreal, it looked like Levi was just sleeping and he just wanted to go out and yell at them that they were wrong, that he wasn't really dead.

 

Levi's eyes were closed and when he touched his cheek, he left out a loud sob. His cheek was so cold and Eren placed a hand over his own mouth to control his breathing. He sat down and gently took Levi's cold hand into his own.

 

“Oh god, please tell me that this is only a dream,” said Eren. Oh how much he wished that this was just a horrible nightmare. He was desperate to wake up, to see Levi soundly asleep next to him. “Just open your eyes, please. Do this one thing for me Levi and wake up,” he kept on talking as his entire body was shaking uncontrollably. “Don't be dead... please.”

 

Eren would do everything just to have one last day with Levi. He was angry with himself that he couldn't say goodbye to him. If he could just turn back the time then he could... Oh wait! An idea popped into Eren's mind and he was immediately on his legs. Turning back the time, wasn't so impossible anymore, now was it?

 

He knew that the device wasn't going to be ready for at least a couple of years, but still he couldn't lose hope. If he could manage to complete that machine then he could meet Levi again and make things right! And that was exactly what Eren promised himself to do. He went closer to Levi again and leaned down, pressing his lips against Levi's cold ones.

 

“I promise to save you,” said Eren with tears in his eyes. “You'll see, I'll see you again Levi really soon, I promise,” he then added and covered his face again.

 

**_To be continued..._ **

 


	2. Chapter 2

One year later

After Levi died, Eren's life had completely turned upside down. The first few months were especially hard, because he still had that feeling that Levi was going to come back home someday. In the middle of the nights, he would wake up to check if the other one really wasn't sleeping next to him. Every time he discovered that Levi really wasn't coming home, his heart broke. And yes, Eren knew he had more important things to do than to be feeling sorry for himself. He needed to finish that device, because he wanted to save Levi as soon as it was possible.

When a few months passed away, he managed to get his emotions under control and the fact that he was missing Levi so much started to help him. He was so determined and so desperate to make that damn thing work that he spent most of the days at work. And when he would go back home, he would continue working on the time travelling device. Other people would tell him that his obsession with making the device was unhealthy, but he didn't care. Other people meant nothing to Eren, even his two best friends Armin and Jean.

Even though Armin and Jean were both against Eren's desire to make the thing work so quickly, they helped him at first. But later on, when they saw that making a time machine was almost impossible, they kind of gave up and left Eren on his own. He wasn't really mad with his two friends, because that meant that he wouldn't have to listen to their protests. He knew that the two of them wanted to stop him, so being without them meant that Eren could work more efficiently.

Eren really was optimistic at first that he could make the time machine on his own. However, as days turned into weeks, weeks into months and month into entire year, he was growing more and more desperate because he was going nowhere with his research. But he didn't gave up, he couldn't. Giving up was the last thing that Eren would do. No, there was going to be a day that he would be able to travel back in time, to his Levi. To the time when they were both so happy.

That day, Eren was still at work, like he usually was. He didn't know what time it was, but he knew that it was already really late, because everyone already left the building. He didn't really care too much about it, because there were nights that he didn't even go back home. Eren let out a deep sigh and then tried to connect the wires on the device again. He hoped that maybe that time he could actually make it work. He calculated all of the possibilities countless number of times and he was sure that this time he was going to be successful. However, when he connected the wires and wanted to test the machine, nothing happened. Eren pressed the 'turn on' button again, but the lights which were supposed to appear on the screen of the device, stayed switched off and Eren let out a loud groan.

He was furious. Why didn't it work this time? He was so sure that it was going to work and now he failed again. That was what he really was; he was nothing but a mere failure. He couldn't even keep his promise to Levi. He promised him to save him, but he couldn't do that. The man pushed his lips together and looked down, running his fingers through his hair. He felt so helpless that he wanted to cry. God, he felt so tired.

His eyes then found the device, which was still placed on the desk in front of him and Eren felt how anger started building up. Without even thinking, Eren took the thing into his own hands and then threw it against the wall. He watched how the device shattered when it came in contact with the wall and Eren then let out a loud yell. He then walked over the broken machine and kicked it, so that it landed on the other side of the room. He needed to calm down, he knew that... but he couldn't. He firmed a fist with his left hand and then punched the wall in front of him. He then punched it over and over again, until his knuckles were bleeding and he then placed his forehead against the cold wall, helplessly sobbing.

At that exact time, the door suddenly opened and a very worried Armin stepped inside. His eyes widened when he saw the scene in front of his eyes. He quickly located the broken device, on which he knew that Eren was working on, and his heart then broke when he saw Eren crying. He knew it far too well what had happened, this wasn't the first time that he witnessed this. Armin knew that Eren was desperate to be with Levi again, but this needed to stop. It was clear that Eren's research had reached the dead end.

“Oh, Eren,” whispered Armin and quickly walked over to his friend. The older one quickly turned around when he heard how someone called his name and he quickly started wiping his tears away when he saw that it was Armin. “You don't have to hide your emotions in front of me. If you feel the need to cry, then cry,” he then added, because he saw how Eren was trying to pretend that nothing was wrong.

“Armin,” said Eren, his whole body trembling. He wanted to run away, he wished that he could hide his feelings better. “I was just,” he started but then stopped. “I failed again, I just... I just can't make the damn thing work.”

“I know that you want to be with him again, but,” said Armin. “You need to stop this, it's unhealthy. And... it's killing me to watch in how much pain you are every time that you don't succeed.”

“No!” yelled Eren. “I c-can't just give up now, not now that I'm this close,” added Eren and his eyes filled with tears again. He couldn't believe that Armin was telling him to stop.

“Close?” asked Armin and shook his head. “We thought we were close on making it work a year ago,” he said and sighed. “You need to let it go, Eren.”

“H-how can you say that?” asked Eren, who was absolutely furious with his co-called best friend. Weren't friends supposed have you back no matter what?! Eren frowned and then made a step back... Armin wasn't his real friend, not if he couldn't support him. “T-then what are you doing here? You know that there's no way that you can stop me! I will make the device work and then I'll go back in time, you'll see! I need to save Levi; I owe him this!”

“I understand that you miss him,” said Armin, trying to remain calm. “But as your friend, I am begging you to stop-”

“You're not my friend!” snapped Eren. “Why can't you for a change support me?!”

“Excuse me?” asked and Armin's eyes widened when those words left Eren's mouth. He knew that his friend was upset and wanted to see his dead lover very much, but still hearing that hurt Armin and he let out a small sigh. “I'll always be your friend, Eren,” he said. “Even though you might not see me as one, but I'll always support you.”

“T-then help me,” said Eren and leaned against the wall. He looked at Armin and the younger one's heart shook when he saw the desperate look in his eyes. “I-if you're really my friend help me. I need your help more than ever right now. I can't do this on my own,” said Eren and then slowly started sliding down the wall, until he was sitting on the floor.

“Eren,” whispered Armin. How was he supposed to say no to his friend now? He would do everything that was in his power that could erase the pain, which Eren was feeling. So of course, he was going to give Eren all the help that he needed. Even though he didn't want to give Eren any more false hope, he just couldn't say no at the moment like this. Armin walked over the older male, sat down next to him and placed his hand on Eren's shoulder. As he did that, Eren's eyes were on him and Armin nervously chewed on his lower lip. “O-okay, I'll help you,” he said slowly. “But I can't promise that-”

“Thank you,” said Eren and wrapped his arms around Armin's neck, pulling his friend tightly to himself. That was all that he wanted to hear, he just wanted to know that he wasn't completely alone. He wanted to know that Armin was still on his side and he was glad that he was. He then buried his face into Armin's shoulder and let the tears wet his face again. “T-thank you so much,” Eren said in between the sobs.

As Eren kept on sobbing, Armin felt how tears started gathering in his own eyes and wrapped his own arms around Eren's waist, pulling him closer to himself. “No need to thank me, Eren,” said Armin. “I'll convince Jean to help us as well,” he then added and watched how Eren nodded. “You'll be with Levi in no time, you'll see.”

When Armin mentioned Levi, Eren's sobs only grew louder and he tightly held himself onto Armin. “I-I miss him s-so much,” said Eren. “It would hurt less if someone would rip my heart out.” Eren then pulled back a bit, breaking his hug with Armin. Armin's lower lip trembled when he saw Eren's face. Eren saw the tears in his friend's eyes and he quickly looked away, feeling guilty.

“Look at me,” whispered Armin and forced a sad smile when Eren's eyes were back on him. He then reached up with his hand and started wiping Eren's tears away with his fingers and then sighed. “You will be happy again... soon, I promise.”

“Thank you.”

“Now, let's go home. You need to rest,” said Armin and slowly got onto his legs.

“But-”

“We'll start working tomorrow,” said Armin and much to his surprise Eren nodded. Eren then slowly got onto his legs as well and then sighed. “Do you want to sleep over at my place?” asked Armin, because he really didn't want to leave Eren alone at a time like that. He knew that Eren would feel better if he wasn't alone as well.

“C-can I really?” asked Eren.

“Of course,” said Armin and gave Eren a small smile. “Now... let's get going.”

________________________________________

A few months later

Eren parked his car near the cemetery and then got out of his car. He took the flowers into his hand and then slowly started walking towards the place where Levi was buried at. As he was coming closer to the place, Eren felt how his legs had gotten heavier and his heart started beating faster. He hated going there, and yet he went every day. It was his only connection with Levi that he still had left. Eren's chest tightened when he saw Levi's grave and he then placed the flowers onto the grave. He didn't even know it why, but it suddenly became too hard to breathe and he had to close his eyes and take a few deep breaths in, just to calm down a little bit.

“Hey, Levi,” said Eren slowly and then swallowed thickly. He would do this every day; come here and then just talk to Levi. It helped him, it was as if Levi was still there, listening to him. “Happy birthday,” he then added and his voice shook terribly at that.

It was Levi's birthday that day, the second one that Eren had to spend without him. He then stepped a bit closer to the grave and then touched the cold stone, which was as cold as Levi's hand that day. At that, Eren's whole body trembled and he quickly tried to get rid of those memories. He wasn't there to dwell about the past; he came to tell Levi the good news. With the help of Armin and Jean, Eren finally managed to make the thing actually work. It wasn't completely finished yet, but he knew for sure that it was going to work this time.

“I'll be able to see you really soon,” said Eren and a sad smile appeared on his face. “You remember the ''time machine'' that I was working on?” asked Eren. “Well with the help of friends, I think that it'll soon be ready,” he said. “A-and then I'll travel back... I'll save you, Levi... you'll see.”

Eren's smile grew, despite the presence of tears in his eyes. “We'll be able to be together again,” he said and sighed. “Finally.”

“God, you have no idea how much I miss you,” then said Eren and sighed. A life without Levi around really was no life at all. “I still feel like you're around somewhere... watching me,” added Eren and looked down. The wind dried his tears and Eren just sighed. He didn't know what to tell Levi anymore, because he was constantly talking to him. Not only on the cemetery, but he talked to Levi at home as well. It helped Eren to calm down, because that way he still had a feeling that Levi was with him.

On the other hand, talking to ''Levi'' gave Eren an impression that he was slowly going insane, which he probably was because the loneliness sometimes really was too hard to bear and that was what was causing his insanity. He really couldn't bear to be alone. Yes, he had friends, but they couldn't fill the hole in his heart. That hole could only be filled by Levi and Eren knew that. So, the fact that the machine was going to be ready pretty soon was the only reason that kept Eren sane. Eren knew that if the device would fail to work once again, he wouldn't be able to take it anymore. This was his last attempt to be reunited with Levi and if it wouldn't work, Eren considered being reunited with his lover in some other kind of way. Both Armin and Jean knew that, so they made sure that they did everything that was in their power to make sure that the device was going to work perfectly.

“I guess I should get going now,” said Eren after a few moments of silence and he then turned around, slowly walking away from the grave. Before Levi's grave could leave his sight, Eren turned around and smiled again. “I can't wait to be with you again. I'll save you this time, you'll see Levi.”

________________________________________

A few months later

 

“It's finished,” announced Jean and both, Armin and Eren, were immediately standing next to him. Eren's eyes widened and he quickly took the device from Jean's hands. The machine itself wasn't really that big; it was as big as a cell phone and it also looked like one. The trio wanted the machine to stay hidden from other people for a little while, so they decided to make it look like a phone, so that it wouldn't stand out too much. Eren then turned the device around and his heart filled itself with joy at the thought that he would be able to see Levi in a few moments.

“Really?” asked Armin. “Do you remember what happened the last time that we tried to use it?” he then asked and shook his head. “I don't know, are you really sure that it's ready for use?.”

“I know, I know,” said Jean and then smiled. “But I took care of it and now it should work perfectly. Actually, I tried it myself a few moments ago, when the two of you weren't looking, and I have to say that it really does work!”

Eren's heart almost started dancing with joy when Jean said that. God, he was so happy. “Finally, after two years of hard work, we managed to finish it,” said Eren quietly, walked over to the chair and sat down, his eyes never leaving the device in his hand. “And now, I-I'll finally be able to see him,” he said, his voice trembling a little bit at that. Eren then stopped talking and he looked at his two best friends. He was so happy that he had them, because he knew that there was no way that this could work if he didn't have them.

“What?” asked Jean, when he noticed that Eren was just sitting there and staring at him.

“Oh?” asked Eren, cleared his throat and then stood up. “I was just thinking,” he said. “Thanks, to both of you. If you weren't here, then I don't know what I would do. I probably would never finish it on my own.”

Armin smiled and then sighed. He still wasn't too sure about the whole time travel thing, because he felt that it couldn't really be good. He didn't know why, but he had this horrible feeling that something was going to go wrong. Messing around with time didn't seem such a good idea to him, but he didn't have the heart to tell Eren that. Just seeing his friend smile after such a long time, was able to bring a smile on Armin's face as well. “You're welcome,” said Armin quietly and then shrugged. “I'm just happy that you'll be able to see Levi again.”

“Yeah,” said Jean and chuckled. “No need to thank us really, we were just helping out a friend in need,” he then said.

Eren's smile widened and he then walked over to Armin and Jean, giving them both a tight and a warm hug. He then made a few steps back and his eyes were back on the device. Just thinking about seeing Levi after two long years was enough to make Eren's heart race and he was sure that it was going to jump out of his chest. He felt both excited and scared; what if something would go wrong? Eren shook his head, no it wouldn't! Plus Jean just told him that the machine was working perfectly, so it really wouldn't be a problem. He then looked back up and saw that Armin had a troubled expression on his face. Eren knew that Armin was against him travelling back in time.

“Something wrong?” asked Eren carefully.

“No... I mean yes. I don't know,” said Armin and ran his fingers through his hair. “I mean, I don't know if it is really safe to be travelling through time like this,” he said and then made a short pause. “I guess I'm just really worried.”

“Don't worry too much,” said Eren. “I'll be really careful, I promise.”

Armin then just nodded without saying anything, because he knew that it would be useless talking Eren out of it. The trio then went to celebrate for a little bit. When it was time for them to part, Eren was suddenly struck with realisation that he probably wouldn't see Jean and Armin again, well at least not this Armin and Jean. He knew that they were still back in the past, but it still wouldn't be the same. But he somehow managed to ignore those horrible feelings and when they finally said their goodbyes, Eren practically ran back home.

“Oh god, I can't really believe that this is really finally happening,” said Eren happily when he reached home and then took the time travelling device back into his hands and started walking around the room. So, to which day should he travel? Eren sat down, still thinking about it. After a few more moments of thinking, he figured that the best solution was to travel back to a day before Levi died.

Eren then set the date and the hour on the device and then nervously looked around the room. He suddenly felt really nervous at the moment. What if it wouldn't work, then what? What if he travelled to the wrong time and then got stuck in there?! Eren felt how his heart started racing, because he knew that he wouldn't be able to see Levi again if that happened and the then swallowed thickly. He shouldn't be thinking like this. He knew that it would work, it had to. So without even thinking about it again, he finally pressed the button.

At first nothing happened, but then suddenly Eren got a really odd sensation. The ground beneath him started shaking and Eren started panicking... was this supposed to happen? Why didn't he ask Jean earlier how it felt like travelling back?! The shaking only got stronger and Eren's eyes widened when the whole room started becoming lighter and lighter. After a few seconds, the light was so strong that Eren had to close his eyes and because the ground was shaking so hard he lost his balance and fell onto the floor. After that, Eren blacked out and the next thing that he remembered was how someone was calling his name.

“Eren?” asked the voice and the person to which the voice belonged to sounded very worried. ”Jean, bring some water. It looks like he fainted or something. Come on, don't just stand there and go get some water!”

Eren slowly opened his eyes and was welcomed by a splitting headache. His vision was blurry, but after a few more moments, it finally became clearer and he could see that Armin was the one calling his name. At that, Eren was immediately on his legs and at first he didn't quite get it what was going on. Also, when did he go back to work?! And why was Armin there? Then Eren's heart stopped... it didn't work, did it? At that, Eren's heart sunk to the pit of his stomach and he then sat down. God, why wouldn't it work?!

“Are you feeling okay?” asked Armin, worried.

“Do I look okay?!” yelled Eren and then hid his face into his palms. “Why didn't it work?! And what the hell am I doing back here?”

“Excuse me?” asked Armin, who was visibly confused. “What didn't work?”

Eren looked at him and gave him a nasty look. “The device that we made to travel through the time!” snapped Eren. He was feeling furious.

“It's not finished yet, Eren. You know that we are still working on it,” said Armin slowly and then walked closer to Eren. “Are you sure that you're feeling okay?”

Not finished yet?! At that Eren's eyes snapped back open and he looked around the room and his eyes located the device, which was on the desk and it looked very different to the one, which they made this morning. It looked awful a lot like the one that... he and the other two were working on two years ago. Oh wait! Eren blinked a few times, waiting for everything to sink in. Did it work? It must've worked; he really went back in time. Eren then looked at Armin, who was still looking at him confused. Joy filled his heart and he almost started laughing out loud, because he was that happy. He looked at the clock, it was already pretty late... He needed to go back home; he needed to see him.

Levi!

“O-oh yeah, I'm okay, sorry for snapping at you like this,” quickly said Eren and gave Armin a small smile. “It was just a long day.”

Armin's facial expression softened at that and he nodded. “Yeah, I know,” said Armin. “You really look tired, Eren, I think that you should go home,” he said. “You've been here since this morning, so you need to get some rest.”

“Yes,” said Eren and immediately started walking towards the door. “I think so too, I... I need to go back home.”

“Okay,” said Armin, still confused by Eren's actions. “See you tomorrow then?”

“Yeah, most definitely!” said Eren. “Bye then,” he added and literally ran towards his car.

Eren then drove towards home. On his way there, his heart was thumping hard against his ribcage and he couldn't wait to be home. He didn't even know how he would react after seeing Levi again. Tears of happiness filled Eren's eyes and the grip on his steering wheel tightened. God, he couldn't wait to have Levi back in his arms again. He would never let him go after that. Before Eren knew it, he was already home and his heart only started beating faster when he saw that his home, for a change, wasn't dark. When he saw Levi's car parked in its usual spot, Eren finally let the tears fall down his face. Levi really was alive!

Eren got out of his car and ran towards the entrance door. He then quickly opened the door and went into the living room. When he came there, he saw Levi, who was happily watching the TV and Eren almost had a heart attack. This really was the reality, right? It wasn't just another one of his dreams again?

“L-Levi,” said Eren very quietly and the older male quickly looked at his direction.

“Eren?” asked Levi, who was surprised to see Eren so early home. He knew that the other one was supposed to be working late that day, so seeing him be back home that early left Levi a bit confused. Did something happen? Judging by the way that Eren was acting, something really must've happen and Levi's heart broke when Eren started sobbing. “What's wrong?” asked the older one and quickly walked over to his sobbing lover. “Eren?” asked Levi again.

Eren slowly reached his hand up and gently touched Levi's cheek with his trembling fingers. Levi's cheek was so warm and new emotions started rushing over Eren's body. “I-it really is you,” managed to say Eren and then he did what he was dying to do for these past two years. He wrapped his arms around Levi's body, held him tightly to himself, and then the only thing that Eren could do was to cry.

Levi was really confused and worried by that point, but he asked no questions. He returned Eren the hug and gave Eren all the time that he needed. Levi then placed his hand against Eren's back and started drawing small, soothing circles against it. “Eren,” whispered Levi into the younger male's ear, causing him to cry even harder. God, the way that Levi said his name seemed like the most beautiful thing to Eren. He missed hearing his voice so much. “Shh, calm down,” said Levi quietly and then pulled back a bit, taking Eren's face into his hands.

Eren's chest tightened when his face was welcomed by the warmth of Levi's hands and he swallowed back a sob. “I love you,” said Eren and then placed his fingers back onto Levi's cheek. His fingers then travelled up to Levi's eyelids and then down his nose, stopping on his full lips. Eren just needed to make sure that Levi really was there, because he still couldn't believe it. “I love you,” said Eren and then kissed Levi desperately. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” said Levi gently and felt helpless because he didn't know how to calm Eren down. When he said that he loved Eren as well, the younger one started crying again and Levi's heart shrunk at that. Did he say something wrong?

“Y-you mean everything to me,” said Eren and started showering Levi's face with kisses. He still couldn't believe it. His hard work from the past two years actually paid off and Eren couldn't be happier. “I m-missed you so much,” said Eren, kissing Levi again. “Don't leave me again, please, I-”

“Leave you?” asked Levi and blinked a few times. “Why would I do that? You should know that I would never leave you, you are too precious to me,” he added and then watched how new tears started streaming down Eren's face. He still didn't know what Eren was talking about, but he didn't intend to ask about it because it seemed like Eren didn't want to talk about it and he respected that.

“Oh god,” said Eren and wrapped his arms around Levi again, letting Levi's scent fill him completely. God, he missed this so much. After a while, he slowly started calming down in Levi's arms and the older one smiled when he felt Eren relaxing in his arms. He was glad that Eren was finally calming down.

“Feeling better?” asked Levi and broke their hug.

“I guess,” said Eren and shrugged.

Levi gave him a warm smile and then started wiping the tears from Eren's face with the sleeve of his shirt and the younger one's eyes welled up yet again. God, Levi was so kind. “Shh, don't cry again,” said Levi quietly. “I hate seeing you cry.”

“I-I'm sorry, I won't cry anymore,” said Eren, new tears rolling down his face.

“Do you want to talk about it?” asked Levi and gave Eren a soft kiss. “What happened?”

Eren wanted to say no, but he knew that Levi would think that he was pushing him away by not telling him and Eren didn't want that. He wanted things to be perfect between him and Levi, so he decided to tell him a part of the whole truth. He wasn't going to tell Levi that he died, no way. “Yeah,” said Eren and sighed. He then reached into his pocket and pulled out the time machine. “We managed to finish the time travelling device.”

“Really?” asked Levi, both happy and excited. Levi took the device when Eren handed it to him and then took a closer look at it. He first thought that it was a phone, but then realised that it was much more than that. “Congratulations,” said Levi happily. “You finally made it.”

“Yeah,” said Eren quietly. “I-I managed to see the future and it was horrible,” said Eren and closed his eyes. “Oh god.”

“What happened?”

“It doesn't matter.”

“Tell me.”

“You left me,” said Eren and sighed.

“L-left you... I did?” asked Levi, shocked to hear that. So that was the reason behind Eren's earlier behaviour and Levi's heart sunk. He felt horrible, knowing that he was the reason behind it, even though that it didn't happen yet. He was about to ask another question, but then stopped when he saw Eren's troubled face. “Don't worry,” he then whispered. “I won't leave you, even if you saw that happen in the future. It hasn't happened yet.”

Eren nodded and then wrapped his arms around Levi again. “God, I love you so much.”

Levi smiled at that and kissed Eren gently. They exchanged a few more kisses and Levi then pulled back, chuckling when he saw Eren's face. He then took his lover's had into his own and slowly guided him into the kitchen. “Now, let's eat something. It'll make you feel better, you'll see.”

Eren nodded and smiled. He was beyond happy and just sitting down and having a meal with Levi seemed like the most beautiful thing to Eren. He promised himself to never let go of Levi again and he would do everything that was in his power to keep Levi safe.

For the first time in two years, Eren slept with a smile on his face that night.

To be continued...


	3. Chapter 3

Throughout the whole night, Eren kept on waking up and checking if Levi really was there asleep next to him. He felt calm every time he saw him and he then just wrapped his arms around the older male, not even caring if Levi woke up or not. He was just so happy that the other one really was sleeping next to him and for the first time in years, Eren's bed didn't feel empty or cold anymore. It almost made Eren cry when he saw that Levi was soundly asleep next to him.

 

However, when the morning came and when Eren woke up, something seemed really strange. When he woke up, the first thing that he felt was how the bed suddenly felt really empty and cold and when he noticed that the space next to him was empty, he was immediately sitting up and he started panicking. Where the hell was Levi?! Eren nervously ran fingers through his hair and then made a few deep breaths in. Was the last day only a dream?!

 

Eren quickly shook his head, because it couldn't be. It really would be a horrible thing if he really didn't go back in time. No, yesterday definitely was real. So, where the hell was Levi then? Then all of the colour left Eren's face as a horrible thought came to his mind. What if Levi already left for work?! Eren felt how his heart filled with horror and fear and he immediately searched for the clock. When he saw that it was still too early for Levi to leave home, he relaxed a little bit, but the panic didn't go away completely.

 

“Levi!” shouted Eren in panic and he quickly got onto his legs, in attempt to go search for the other one. However, before he could leave the bedroom, the door quickly opened and Levi was already standing there next to him.

 

“What is it?” asked Levi worried. He woke up before Eren that morning and because he didn't want to wake him up, he decided to leave the bedroom. Not only that, but he needed to go ready for work, so he was just in the middle of eating his breakfast when he heard Eren calling for him. Levi was really worried for the other one, because it looked like Eren still didn't forget about what he saw in the future. He didn't know what it was, but he knew that it must've been pretty horrible. “I'm here, Eren. I just went to get something to eat and-”

 

“Oh thank god,” whispered Eren and felt relieved. Eren felt weight lifting off of his chest and he quickly went closer to Levi and hugged him once again. Levi chuckled when Eren placed his strong arms around him and squeezed him tightly to himself, but then stopped when he heard what Eren said next. “I thought that you already went to work,” whispered Eren into Levi's ear and then started placing soft kisses all over Levi's neck. “I thought that I lost you... again.”

 

“L-lost me?” stammered Levi and then quickly broke their hug. “Y-you said that I left you, but judging by your reaction,” he said and then made a short pause. He wondered what Eren really saw in the future. It seemed like something much more serious happened to him. “What happened to me in the future?” he then asked carefully.

 

Eren's eyes widened and he cursed, knowing that he should be more careful about what was coming out of his mouth. He looked at Levi and he quickly looked away when an image of dead Levi flashed in front of his eyes. “I don't want to talk about it,” whispered Eren and then looked at Levi, who looked visibly hurt by that and he swallowed thickly. Shit, he didn't mean it to sound like that! “Don't look so hurt, I just... It was really horrible and I-”

 

Levi sighed and then nodded, knowing that he should give Eren a bit more time. “It's okay,” he said after a while and gave Eren a warm smile. “Now,” he said, took Eren's hand into his own and then started walking, guiding the younger one to the bed. “We still have a bit more time before I leave so let's just-”

 

“No!” shouted Eren and chewed on his lower lip. “I'm begging you to stay home today, don't go to work.”

 

“But I-”

 

“I'm begging you, Levi!” said Eren helplessly. He didn't care if the other one didn't want to listen to him, he  _needed_  Levi to stay at home. If Levi stayed home, nothing would happen to him. “Just stay here with me, only for today,” said Eren desperately and then walked behind Levi, wrapping his arms around Levi's chest and he buried his face into the crook of his lover's neck. “Please.”

 

Levi's heart shook when he heard how desperate Eren sounded and he pushed his lips together. He then leaned his head against Eren's and let out a deep sigh, knowing that he couldn't say no to Eren. On the other hand, he couldn't really leave him alone at that state, could he? He knew that Eren needed him and there was no way that Levi was going to leave him all alone. “Okay,” he said softly. “I'll stay home with you for a few days, okay?”

 

“Thank you,” said Eren and smiled, happy to hear that. When he heard how Levi chuckled, warmth filled Eren's chest and he let out a happy sigh. He then turned Levi around in his arms and pressed his forehead against Levi's and his smile grew when he looked deep into his eyes. “You're perfect.”

 

Levi's eyes widened when he heard Eren say that and he almost burst into loud laughter. “I'm far from being perfect,” he said and cupped Eren's face. “So, what will we do today, now that I'm staying home?”

 

“I don't really care,” said Eren, grabbed Levi's wrist and then threw himself onto the bed, pulling the other one down as well. The older male let out a surprised yelp and then started giggling when he landed on top of Eren. The other one turned them over, so that Eren was now laying on top of Levi and he leaned down, kissing the tip of Levi's nose. “I love you,” he then whispered. He had been repeating those words over and over again, but he didn't care. Saying them made Eren feel better, because he knew that he let the other one know how he felt.

 

Levi's smile widened and he let out a happy sigh. Being with Eren made him so happy and he leaned up a bit, so that he could capture Eren's lips with his own. Eren's body relaxed completely when he felt Levi's soft lips against his own and applied a bit more pressure to the kiss, returning the other one a slightly longer kiss. He then squeezed the older one tighter to himself, making Levi chuckle at the process. “Don't worry, I'm here Eren,” he whispered and kissed Eren's temple. “I'm not going anywhere.”

 

Eren didn't say anything. Instead, he just gave Levi a small smile and he then reached down, taking Levi's hand into his own. He then brought Levi's hand to his lips and gently kissed his fingers. His heart started beating faster when he saw the ring on his lover's finger and he gently touched it. “We're getting married,” he said to himself, but the other one could hear him.

 

“Of course,” said Levi happily. “Don't tell me, you've forgotten?” he then asked and pouted cutely.

 

Eren looked at Levi's face and just couldn't suppress a chuckle because the older one looked adorable at that moment. Of course he didn't forget, he just kind of... gave up on the thought of being married to Levi during those two long years, so now seeing that he had a chance to be married to Levi was just kind of overwhelming to him and he quickly shook his head. “Of course I haven't forgotten,” said Eren quietly and his eyes welled up again. “I'm so happy,” he then mouthed out, because his voice started shaking again and Levi's heart became heavier again.

 

“Me too,” muttered the older one, because he didn't know what else to say. But he was glad that he said that, because his words caused Eren's face to brighten a little bit.

 

Eren then remembered that he said another thing that made Levi really happy two years ago. He told him that after the wedding they would adopt children and he frowned. Two years ago he wanted to have children, but what about now? Having children would be pretty stressful, but on the other hand it was a really exciting thought to Eren. It really wouldn't be so bad. He looked at Levi and he could see that the other one was curiously looking at him.

 

“What are you thinking about?” asked Levi softly.

 

“About our future,” admitted Eren. “I was thinking about... kids.”

 

“Kids?” asked Levi and blinked a few times, but his eyes suddenly widened. “No, it's okay if we don't have children. I know that you don't want to have-”

 

“I want to, I've changed my mind,” said Eren quickly and Levi gave him a surprised look. “I've been thinking and well... after the wedding we could adopt,” he said and smiled when he saw the huge smile on Levi's lips.

 

“Are you serious?” asked Levi.

 

“Absolutely.”

 

“You are the best,” said Levi and then started showering Eren's face with kisses, causing the younger one to burst in loud laughter. Happiness and warmth filled Eren's heart because he was glad that he could make Levi happy. He promised to himself that he would do everything that was in is power to keep Levi happy and safe... forever. He didn't really care what price he would have to pay, because Levi meant everything to him.

 

That day was the first one in many years, in which Eren wasn't reminded of the pain that he felt for the last two years. He had a feeling that maybe, just maybe, he and Levi could really live a happy life together, forever.

 

 

**A few months later**

 

For the next couple of months, Eren was living in a complete panic and fear. He would always accompany the other one no matter where he went, because he needed to make sure that Levi was going to be alright and safe. The older male didn't mind it at first, but as the time passed he was growing more and more annoyed by Eren's actions. He appreciated that Eren was worried about him, but everything had it's limits. But still Levi didn't have the heart to tell him that, because he knew that that would break Eren's heart.

 

However, as more time passed, Eren was finally able to calm down a little bit, but he still felt pretty paranoid if Levi was late from work or if the older one wasn't returning his calls or texts. He knew that Levi had to be annoyed and angry with him, because he would constantly be asking him where he was and when he was coming home, but he just couldn't help himself. He just didn't want to lose him again. It killed him the first one and he knew that if something happened to Levi again, he probably wouldn't be able to survive it.

 

Eren still had the time travelling device, but he kept it hidden at home. He didn't want to use it again, because he still didn't know what kind of effects the whole time travelling thing could have for him or the others around him. Armin had told him that playing with time wasn't wise and Eren agreed with his best friend completely. Eren was still going to work, but he was coming back home much earlier than he used to in the past. At work, Jean and Armin were still his best friends. Even though he loved hanging out with these two, he kind of missed having Armin and Jean that he used to know. He wanted to tell them everything that happened, but he was afraid that something could go wrong. Not only that, but he knew that they probably wouldn't believe him anyway.

 

Eren frowned and then sighed, but his frown soon disappeared when his eyes travelled to his fiancée, who was happily walking around the house and the younger one just had to chuckle at Levi's adorableness. “Why are you so happily dancing around the house?” asked Eren and his smile widened when Levi threw himself onto the couch, on which Eren was sitting on.

 

“My mom called,” announced Levi happily and Eren's smile soon disappeared. The fact that Levi's parents would call usually put Levi in a bad mood, because they weren't really keen on the idea of the two of them dating and living together. But judging by Levi's reaction, he must've had some good news. “Oh don't look so serious,” said the older one when he saw that Eren was frowning and he knew exactly what the other one must've been thinking about. “For a change it's a good thing that they called,” he said. “I invited them to come to our wedding and well... My mom called this morning and she said that she will come. My dad probably won't be coming, but she promised that my sister will be on our wedding as well.”

 

“Really?” asked Eren and blinked a few times. He didn't really know how to feel about knowing that Levi's family was going to come to their wedding, because he never really thought about it.

 

“You don't really mind, do you?” asked Levi when he noticed that Eren was thinking about something.

 

“No, of course not,” said Eren happily and then smiled. In the end, he decided that he didn't really care. He knew that family meant a lot to Levi and seeing that the news had made Levi happy was enough for Eren. As long as Levi was happy, so was he. “I'm glad that they changed their mind,” he then added, placed fingers under Levi's chin, pulled his face closer and then kissed him softly.

 

“Thank you,” said Levi and then returned Eren a quick kiss. “So in two weeks we're finally going to be married, huh?” he then said and Eren looked at him, nodding happily.

 

“Yeah,” said Eren and let out a happy sigh. “I can't wait.”

 

“Same here,” said Levi and his heart started beating faster when he saw that Eren's smile widened. He was glad to see that the other one was happy again, because he hated seeing Eren crying and be sad in general. He promised to himself that he would do everything that was in his power to keep the younger male happy. “We should do something today,” he then suddenly said, because he wanted to go out of the house. It was weekend and doing something fun outside sounded both exciting and fun to Levi. Not only that, but he knew that a day out would be good for Eren as well.

 

“Hmm?” asked Eren and looked at his lover. “Like what?”

 

Levi frowned and then started thinking, because he didn't really know where to go with Eren. Plus he didn't care about the destination either, he knew that it was going to be fun as long as his lover was going to be around. But judging by curious look on Eren's face, Levi knew that he had to be the one that would make the decision what they would do and there they would go. After a few moments of thinking, he blurted out the first thing that came to his mind. “What about shopping?” asked Levi slowly and looked at Eren. He knew that the other one wasn't fond of going shopping and he just had to chuckle when he saw how the younger one gave him an 'Are you serious about that?' look. “If you want to,” then Levi quickly added.

 

Eren sighed when Levi said that and he then rolled his eyes, because he really didn't want to go out that day. Staying in at home seemed like a very good idea to Eren. Not only that, but after hearing that Levi wanted to go shopping made the whole idea of going out even more annoying to him. “Shopping? I don't know,” muttered Eren and then looked at Levi, who looked away and he chewed on his lower lip. Eren knew that Levi wanted to go out with him somewhere, but did it really had to be shopping? However, even if he didn't like the idea, he knew that there was no way that he could say no to his lover. “I guess we could go to the mall and then... do something there,” said Eren after a while.

 

“Really?” asked Levi and was immediately on his legs. “Let's go there then,” he said, reached his hand out and Eren took it. The younger one chuckled as he stood up and watched how Levi started walking towards the door. He then sighed and shook his head; maybe going out wasn't such a bad idea after all.

 

The two of them then made their way to the car and Eren drove them off to the closest mall in town. Levi saw the miserable look on Eren's face when the other one parked his car in front of the mall and he almost burst into loud laughter. However, he did feel bad about it, because he knew that he practically forced Eren to come along with him. In the end, he asked Eren if he wanted to go to the cinema, which was really close to where they were. Eren was more than excited when Levi asked him that and in the end they really went to the cinema and went to watch a movie.

 

After the movie was over, Eren finally started having fun and he finally admitted it to himself that Levi was right about forcing him out. Staying in at home wasn't all that bad, but being out with Levi and having fun was even better and in the end, he agreed to go to the mall with Levi. When they reached the mall, they started walking around it as they held hands together. Eren didn't know that just walking with Levi and giggling together could be so fun.

 

Eren knew that the main reason for not wanting to leave the house was the fact that he wanted to keep Levi safe. He knew that as long as the two of them would stay in the house, nothing would happen to the older male, but at the same time he knew that he couldn't keep Levi a prisoner in his own house. No matter how much he wanted to keep him safe, he knew that his fear was starting to make Levi miserable. Not only that, but he knew that he needed to go out more as well.

 

“Having fun?” asked Levi happily and that woke Eren up from thinking. He looked to his right, where Levi was walking and he nodded, making the older male chuckle at the process. “Well I'm glad,” he said and his smile widened. “See? Going out once in a while won't hurt anyone!” he then added and Eren chuckled.

 

“I guess,” said Eren.

 

As they continued to walk, Levi located a photo booth not that far from them and his eyes lit up. He then grabbed Eren's wrist and before the other one could say something, Levi already started dragging him towards the photo booth. “Look,” said Levi then and pointed to it. “Let's take some pictures while we are here!”

 

Eren at first didn't quite understand why Levi started dragging him somewhere, but he soon saw the photo booth and he smiled, because he knew that the other one was quite fond of things like that. He looked at Levi's face and Eren's smile widened when he saw how happy Levi looked. “Sure, sounds great,” said Eren and chuckled when Levi's face brightened at that.

 

They then stepped inside and the first picture of them was Levi having his arms wrapped around Eren's waist, while the other one had his lips pressed against Levi's cheek. They made a few more silly pictures and when they went to see how they turned out, the two of them started laughing out loud. Eren felt how his heart filled with happiness when he saw the pictures, because the two of them looked absolutely ridiculous on them, but he didn't care. He then looked at Levi again, who seemed to be having as much fun as he was and the placed a kiss onto Levi's temple as the other one kept on looking at their pictures.

 

“I think that this one is the best,” said Levi and pointed on the picture on which they were sticking their tongues out, making Eren chuckle. “Oh and I like this one too,” he then added, pointing on another picture.

 

Eren placed his hand on top of Levi's head and he let out a happy sigh. The other one looked at him curiously and blinked a few times, waiting for Eren to say something. “They all look great,” said Eren to himself, but Levi could hear him and he smiled again. “As long as we're together, everything is great.”

 

“Let's take some more pictures then,” said Levi and pulled Eren inside of the booth again.

 

Eren just had to smile at Levi, because he was beyond adorable and he just couldn't say no to him, so he of course agreed to take some more pictures. Just as they were in the middle of taking their third picture, they heard a loud bang coming from outside and then everything went quiet for a second or so. The next thing that they heard was how people started screaming and Eren's heart stopped beating... What the hell was that? His eyes immediately found Levi, who was just as confused as he was.

 

“What the hell was that?” whispered Eren, knowing that something terrible must've been happening outside.

 

“I... I don't know,” whispered Levi and stepped closer to Eren. “Wait here, I'll go and see what's wrong-”

 

“No!” said Eren quickly. More banging sounds could be heard from outside and people's screams were getting louder and louder. There was no way that Eren was going to let Levi go out on his own, it wasn't safe. “I'll go see what's going on outside,” he said and turned to Levi. “You wait here, okay?”

 

“Alright,” said Levi and nodded.

 

Eren then turned around, feeling how his heart started beating faster when he walked closer to the curtain. He knew that something horrible must've been happening outside judging by the chaos that could be heard from the inside of the photo booth, but nothing could prepare Eren to what he saw. At first he didn't quite understand what was going on, because people kept running around. But he soon saw that they weren't just simply running around the mall, but it seemed like that they were running away from someone and his heart stopped when he saw two masked man, which were holding guns. Eren went back into the photo booth and sat down, because he felt sick down to his stomach.

 

He buried his face into his palms and then started taking in deep breaths, trying to calm down and clear his thoughts, because the most important thing at that moment was to protect Levi. Why did something like this have to happen when Levi was with him?! He knew it; it would be better if they stayed inside. He regretted listening to Levi's wishes and he let out a quiet sigh, because he didn't know what to do. Levi's eyes widened when he saw Eren's reaction and he was immediately kneeling next to the younger one.

 

“W-what's going on out there?” asked Levi, who was afraid of the answer. Eren was really pale and when he looked him into the eyes, Levi could see fear in his lover's eyes. That was enough that made him afraid as well and he swallowed thickly. “Eren?” he asked quietly. “You're scaring me... what's wrong?”

 

Eren's eyes found Levi's and he then just looked down, because he couldn't bear to look at him, he was too afraid that he was going to lose him again. “T-there's two men outside... they are wearing masks and they-” started Eren, but then made a short pause. “They have guns. S-some people were bleeding, from what I saw, and I-I think that they shot those people,” he said when he remembered that some shooting sounds were heard not too long before.

 

“Oh no,” said Levi and covered his mouth with his hand. All of the colour left his face and he felt how his heart started racing. He then looked back at Eren, whose body was shivering badly. “A-are those people going to be okay? I-I mean, from what you saw.”

 

“I don't care,” said Eren and then stood up. He knew that that sounded really selfish, but in reality he didn't really care. All that mattered was that he needed to get Levi out of there. “We need to get out of here. You... you need to be safe. If something happens to you then I'm-”

 

“Eren, calm down,” whispered Levi and placed his forehead against Eren's. “Everything is going to be alright.”

 

“How?” snapped Eren and shook his head. “There's two maniacs out there, going around and shooting people. How can you say that everything is going to be okay?!” he said and started walking around the small place. “I can't believe it, it's happening again. Why... why can't I keep you safe? All I do is bring danger to you and if something happens to you again, I swear that I'm gonna-”

 

“Again?” asked Levi.

 

“Yes, again,” said Eren and exhaled, trying to collect himself a little bit, because he knew that they needed a plan if they wanted to come out of there alive. Just as Eren was about to say something, a loud bang was heard from the outside, this time really close to them. Eren decided to take a look of what was happening outside and he felt sick down to his stomach when he saw how a woman fell onto the floor and the masked man, who was holding a gun, started laughing. Eren's eyes welled up and he quickly stepped back inside. “I-I need to get you out of here.”

 

“What did you see, Eren?” asked Levi carefully, who also heard a loud bang, which was followed by a loud scream. Because Eren wasn't saying anything and was just staring blankly, Levi stepped to him and shook his shoulder, finally gaining his attention. “What did you see?” he repeated his previous question.

 

“Nothing,” said Eren and shook his head. His body froze when he heard footsteps coming closer to the photo booth and his gut feeling was telling him that that had to be one of those masked men. At that moment, he did the first thing that popped into his mind; he grabbed Levi's hand and started running towards the exit. Levi let out a loud yelp when he was suddenly pulled by Eren, but when he saw a masked man coming closer to them, he started running as well.

 

Eren's heart filled itself with horror when he saw the whole scene outside. Some people were lying on the floor and not moving. Others were trying to get away from the whole scene as well and Eren's heart squeezed when he saw how some people fell as they were running for their lives. He looked back for a second, just to see if Levi was alright and he then quickly turned around as he continued on running. When he saw that the man was coming closer to them, Eren squeezed Levi's hand tighter and he felt how the other one did the same.

 

Then suddenly, the man who was chasing Levi and Eren, pulled the trigger and Levi's eyes widened when a sudden pain pierced his body and he let out a shocked yelp of pain. Eren's heart started beating faster when he heard that, but he didn't stop running, his hand still gripping onto Levi's. The main thing was that they got out of there. “Are you alright?” asked Eren.

 

“I... I think so,” managed to say Levi, because the pain suddenly disappeared.

 

Eren's heart filled with joy when he finally saw the entrance door and he started running faster, dragging Levi along. When the two of them were finally outside, the younger one didn't stop running because he needed to make sure that they were far enough from that place. Only then, he could finally say to himself that they were safe; that Levi was safe. When he was finally sure that they were far enough, he stopped running, fell onto his knees and started gasping for air. He smiled, because he managed to save Levi. For once in his life, he was able to do something for Levi.

 

“We... we made it,” said Eren as he continued on taking in deep breaths.

 

“Eren,” whispered Levi.

 

“Yeah?” asked Eren and finally turned around. However, when he saw Levi, his heart fell into the pit of his stomach. Levi was really pale and Eren froze when he saw that Levi's shirt was soaked with blood. The realisation that Levi was shot as they were trying to run away from those two men slowly started sinking in and Eren chewed on his lower lip. With horror in his eyes, he watched how Levi fell onto his knees, his eyes never leaving Eren's.

 

“Oh my god,” managed to say Eren and he was immediately next to Levi. “No, no, no,” he said. “T-this isn't happening.” He then practically tore Levi's shirt off, because he needed to see where Levi was shot. Eren became sick again when he saw a big wound on Levi's stomach and he let out a loud scream. No... This wasn't happening; not again! There was no way that he was going to lose Levi again. He then pressed the shirt against Levi's stomach, in attempt to stop the bleeding.

 

“Eren,” whispered Levi and Eren looked at him, tears rolling down his face. “It looks like I didn't make it.”

 

“D-don't say that, you're going to be alright,” said Eren and then took his phone from his pocket, because he needed to call the ambulance. He then quickly called the number, told them where they were and what had happened. When they reassured him that they were on their way, Eren ended the call and then returned to Levi. “S-see? I called for help and they will be here any moment now.”

 

“I'm cold,” said Levi and Eren's heart broke when he saw how his lover's body started shaking. He then pressed the shirt tighter against Levi's wound because the bleeding just didn't want to stop. As he did that, Levi let out a whimper of pain and Eren let out a loud curse. He couldn't do anything right! He quickly took his own jacket off and placed it on top of Levi, in attempt to at least keep him warm, but he knew that that was kind of pointless.

 

“B-better?” asked Eren.

 

“Yeah,” said Levi and somehow managed to smile. “T-thank you.”

 

For the next couple of minutes, Eren continued to talk with Levi about some random things. The main thing was that Levi didn't fall asleep, but after a few minutes, Levi's condition worsened and panic started kicking in again. Where the hell was the ambulance when you needed it?! And why couldn't he stop the damn bleeding?! He looked around and his heart shook when he saw how much blood Levi had lost.

 

“I love you,” suddenly whispered Levi.

 

Eren's heart stopped beating once again, because he knew what it meant when people started talking like this in these kinds of situations. “No, no, no... Please god,” said Eren and started caressing Levi's hair. “I-I love you too, but please don't-”

 

“I feel so sleepy,” said Levi, whose eyes started closing.

 

“No, don't close your eyes. Hey,” said Eren and gently tapped Levi's cheek, making him open his eyes again. “Y-you're going to be alright,” said Eren, even though he didn't believe that anymore. “I just need you to keep on looking at me and talking to me,” he said. “Please don't leave me. Don't leave me alone again, I'm begging you.”

 

Levi's heart broke when he heard Eren say that and he finally understood what Eren must've seen in the future. He felt horrible, because he knew that he was going to break his promise that he gave to Eren. “I'm sorry,” said Levi and let the tears wet his face. “F-for not being able to keep my promise.”

 

“Don't say that-”

 

“I love you,” said Levi and started sobbing.

 

“I love you too,” whispered Eren and leaned down, kissing Levi. “God... I love you so much,” he then said and then just broke down. Eren buried his face into Levi's chest and started helplessly sobbing, because he didn't know what to do anymore. His worst fears were coming true again and he would do everything that was in his power to change places with Levi.

 

“Eren,” whispered Levi and reached up with his arms. Eren immediately took his hand into his own and brought it up to his face, kissing it. When he saw the ring on Levi's finger, his sobbing only got louder.

 

“I wasn't able to save you,” said Eren. “God, I am so sorry Levi... I-”

 

Levi suddenly felt really tired and he was barely keeping his eyes opened. He didn't feel cold anymore, which was odd. He knew what was coming and his eyes welled up again, because he just couldn't hold out anymore. “It... is... okay,” said Levi and then closed his eyes. “...love you.”

 

“Levi?” said Eren and almost stopped breathing when he saw that Levi wasn't responding to him anymore. Panicking, Eren pressed his fingers against Levi's wrist, searching for his pulse. Because he couldn't find it, he pressed his fingers against the older male's neck, but was against confronted with disappointment. “Open your eyes, Levi. Please do it for me,” said Eren and tears kept on streaming down his face. He then placed his hands on Levi's shoulders and started shaking his body frantically, because he needed to wake up Levi.

 

As he kept on screaming for Levi to come back, the ambulance finally showed up and the paramedics hurried to Levi and Eren. Eren stepped away and watched how they tried to bring Levi back to life and he kept on clinging on hope that they would be able to do it. However, when he saw how a young male shook his head, a loud 'no' left Eren's mouth and he then just kept screaming and sobbing, because he couldn't believe it that he didn't manage to save Levi. He failed.

 

Levi passed away again, and Eren knew that it was his fault.

 


End file.
